Multiple-tank water-supply mechanism



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E. H. LICHTENBERG IULTIPLE TANK WATER SUPPLY MECHANISM Original FiledJuly2 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l 311mm Ho t,

Aug. 7, 1928.

E. H. LICHTENBERG.

I ULTIPLE TANK WATER SUPPLY IECH AN I SI Oxiginal Filed July 27, 1925 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 7, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,679,614 PATENT OFFICE.

ERICK H. LICHTENBEBG, OI MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASBIGNOB TO KOEHBING GOI-PANY, OI MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

MULTIPLE-TANK WA'IEBFSUPI'LY manual.

' Application fled July 87, 1925, Serial Il'o. 48,818 Renewed October14, 1987.

This invention embodies novel water supply means for concrete mixers.The equipment provided in accordance with the invention involves the useof multiple tank valve mechanism of the invention, the said valvemechanism being interposed between the multiple supply tank means and anoutflow pipe which leads to the mixerand is common to said multiple tankmeans.

The novel design of the valves used is especially advantageous forcausing less wear, and therefore renewals of valves are reducedmaterially, promoting the long life of the valve apparatus in a mannerwhich will appear more fully hereinafter. A further object of theinvention has been to roduce an arrangement of valves wherey thepressure of the water from the main supply water line will act upon thevalves with counterbalancing effects so that it is never necessary toadjust the valve means against the full pressure entering the valvecasing from the main water line.

30 A further object of the invention resides in certain provisions madefor facilitating the removal and renewal of the valve means, when afterlong use occasion may arise for such operation.

With the fore oing and other objects in view, a full understanding ofthis invention will be had upon reference to the following descriptionin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in the latter of which:

Figure 1 is asort of diagrammatical view showing the adaptation ofthe'invention to its use in connection with concrete mixing machines.Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken through the valve casing andadjacent pipe connections. a

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the same. Figure 4 is a view lookingtoward "the valve casing from the side thereof at which the water tankconnecting pipes are arranged. Referring to the drawings, the mixing 4machine diagrammatically illustrated in- 56 volves the mixing drum 1supported on a scribed in detail.

suitable drama 2 and adapted to be charged w th SOlld aggregates bymeans of a loadin skip 3, these parts being of conventiona iconstruction now in use and need not be do- At suitable points on theframe 2 of the machine, preferably near'its upper portion,

are located water measuring tanks 4 and 5.

These measuring tanks 4 and 5 may each be equipped with. water measuringappliances for measuring a predetermined quantity of water of sufficientamount necessary for admixture with a batch of solid aggregates that maybe charged into the drum 1. They measuring means may be of anyconventional type andv does not form a part of the present mventlonitself. In this connection reference is had to a typical measurin tankconstruction such as may be utilized, the same be ng shown in UnitedStates Letters Patent of Koehring Patent No. 1,149,922, issued August10, 1915. v

The water tanks 4 and 5 are respectively erplnpped with water outflowpipes 6 and 7. T e pipes 6 and 7 lead downwardly from the tanks 4 and 5to a valve casing 8 of peculiar construction. The said casing 8 isprovided with a top plate 9 bolted or otherwise attached thereto, toclose its upper end, and formed with a guide member 10 co operative witha ide stem 11 at the up er end of a valve-re 12,which.operates wit inthe casing 8 but passesthrough a bottom closure plate 13 at the lowerextremity'of said casing. The valve rod 12 may be connected to bemanually operated, or under certainconditions may be operated by the ski3, in order to shift the valvemeans on sai rod u and down for purposesmade more clear ereinafter. The-valve casing 8 95 has inflow ports14 and15 with which, reapectively, the pipes 6 and 7 are connected.

he inflow ports 14 and 15 are spaced a short distance from the ends ofthe casing 8, be-

ing closer together than are the outflow ports 16 and 17 which arepreferably located on the casing 8 at the side opposite the ports 14 and15. Said ports 16 and 17 are respectively near the upper and lower endsof the casing and' a manifold member 19 168(15105 valve casing 8 isprovided with a central 7 at opposite ends of the upper inflowchamsitions upon the rod 12.

ber 23. The valve 28 is adapted to reciprocate between valve seats 31and 32 which are located at opposite ends, so to speak, of the inflowchamber 24. The said valves 27 and 28 are of a larger diameter, ofcourse, than are their valve seats for which reason to facilitateintroduction and removal of the valves in respect to the casing 8, thevarious seats 29, 30, 31 and 32 are made removable. Each seat ispreferably comprised of an annular body screwed into athreaded openingformed in the annular wall of the casing 8.

The valves 27 and 28 are of like constructions. Each valve is made up ofa body disc or discs removably fitted upon the valve rod 12 by theprovision of a shoulder 33 on the rod 12, having an abutting relationwith the bottom of the valve 28. A sleeve 34 is mounted upon the rod 12with its lower end abutting against the upper side of the valve 28 andits upper end cooperating with the underside of the valve 27. Above thevalve 27 there is screwed upon the rod 12 a clamping nut 35 which nutfirmly holds the valves 27 and 28, and their cooperating abutting partsjust described in proper assembled po- Removal of the valves 27 and 28maybe eflected by detaching the lower plate 13 of the casing 8,unscrewing the valve seats 30, 31 and 32, and displacing the valve rodwith said valves thereon, through the lower end of the casin 8.

The lower end of the manifold 19 providing the outflow passage 21 isconnected with a pipe 36 by which the water entering the passage 21 mabe conducted to the mixin drum 1. Or, t c said manifold 19. may be 0%suflicient length to lead directly into the mixing drum. The foregoingis immaterial in the purview of the invention. A stufling box 37 may beprovided in the lower closure plate 13 of the casing 8.

At one side of the central water supply chamber 22 is provided a watersupply port 38 with which is connected a pipe 39 leading from the mainwater supply line availed of to provide a water supply to the mixingmachine. The water enters the chamber 22 through the port 38 and pi e 39at varying because the pressure areas of the valves u on which the watereffectively acts are t e same until the valves are seated one way or theother, whereupon the pressure acting to hold the valve in its seatedosition is somewhat greater than that actmg to unseat it. Throughout themovement of the valve means therefore, the water pressure entering atthe water port 38 acts with equal forces upon the valves 27 and 28,under which conditions there is produced a'comparative ease of theoperation of the valve rod 12 under ractical conditions of use.

In t e operation of the invention, and bearing in mind that the tanks 4and 5 might be a single tank structure divided into two watercompartments, it will be apparent that when the valves 27 and 28 arearranged in the positions of Figure 2, the

water is passing from the tank 5 through chamber 22 is connected withthe inflow chamber 23, the pipe 6 and tank 4 so that the tank 4 is beingrefilled or has been filled owing to the connection thereof with themain water line supply pi e 39. Let us suppose that the valve ro 12 ispulled downwardly to seat the valve 27 against the seat 30 and the valve28 against the seat 32. Then the water will flow from the tank 4 throughthe chamber 23 up to the chamber 25, out through the passage 21, downthrough the pipe 36 to the mixing drum. At this time, of course, thesupply line port 38 is cut oil from the tank 4 and pipe 6, but

at this time also, the water supply chamber 22 is in communication withthe chamber 24, pipe 7 and the tank 5 and is refilling or has refilledsaid tank 5 in an obvious manner.

When the valve 27 is in the position of Figure 2, it is obvious that thewater from the main supply line cannot enter the tank 5 because thevalve 28 is seated against the seat 31 and cuts off the supply of waterin the'chamber 22 from the tank 5.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In water supply means for concrete mixing machines, in combination, avalve casin comprising a central water supply cham er to receive somewater from a main water supply line, valves arranged in said casing atopposite ends of said chamber,

UNI

valve seats in said casing arranged in pairs at opposite ends of saidchamber, the seats of each pair being located upon opposite sides of oneof the valves, water inflow ports communicating with the casing betweenthe valve seatsof said airs of seats, water outflow chambers, onelocated at the outer side of the outermost of one pair of valve seatsand the other located at the outer side of the outer one of the otherpair of valve seats, outflow passage means connected with the outflowchambers, and means for operating the valves.

2. In means of the class described, in combination, a valve casinghaving a main line water supply port, valves at opposite sides of saidport and movable so as to maintain positions always on opposite sides ofthe port, a pair of valve seats for each valve between which the valveoperates, water inflow ports communicating with the casing at pointsbetween the valve seats, water outflow ports communicating with thecasing at points beyond the valve seats which are more remote from thewater supply port and means for operating the valve.

3. Valve means of the class described, comprising a casing havingseparate water inflow pipes connected therewith, a water main linesupply port communicating with the casing between said inflow pipes, anoutflow chamber adjacent to each inflow pipe I but more remote from thewater su ply port than. the inflow pipe connection therewith, valvesmounted in the casin valve seats intermediate each valve and t e watersupply port, a valve seat intermediate each valve and the adjacentoutflow chamber, said valve seats and valves being adapted to engageface on, and means for operating the valves'to establish communicationbetween an inflow pipe and the water supply port while said inflow pipeis cut off by a valve from the adjacent water outflow chamber,

with, valves mounted in the casing, valve seats intermediate each valveand the water supply port, a valve seat intermediate each valve and theadjacent outflow chamber,

said valve seats and valves being adapted to en age face on, andmeansfor operating the va ves to establish communication between an inflowpipe and the water supply port while said inflow pipe is cut ofl by avalve from the adjacent water outflow chamber, and the other inflow pipeis cut o-fl'i from communication with the water supply port while incommunication with the adjacent water outflow chamber, the means for 0erating the valves comprising a rod on w ich the valves are removablymounted and means for holding the valves in place on said rod.

5. Valve means of the class described comprising a casing having a-watersupply port at its central portion, valve seats at opposite sides ofsaid ort and within the casing, a valve seat ad aCent to each of thevalve. seats aforesaid, spaced therefrom, a valve between each of thelast mentioned valve seats and its particular adjacent valve seat, waterinflow pipes communicating with the casing at points between each set ofvalve seats on opposite sides of the water supply port, an outflowassage means leading from the casing and having controlled communicationwith the inflow pipes by means of said valves.

6. Valve means of the class described comprising a casing having a watersupply port at its central portion, valve seats at opposite sides ofsaid ort and within the casing, a valve seat ad acent to each of thevalve seats aforesaid, spaced therefrom, a valve between each of thelast mentioned valve seats and its articular adjacent-valve seat, waterinflow pipes communicatin with the casing at points between each set 0valve seats on opposite sides of the water su ply port, an outflowpassage means leading rom the casin and having controlled communicationw1th the inflow pipes by means of said valves, means to actuate thevalves com' prising a rod extending longitudinally of the casingtherein, detachable means securing the valves on the rod so that thevalves coact with'the valve seats by engagement face on therewith, thevalve seats being of smaller diameter thap the valves and beingremovably mounted in the casing for detachment therefrom to permitremoval of the valves.

In testimon whereof I afiix m si ature.

E IGH H. LICHTE B RG.,

